Clever cycling isn’t all about long, slow rides at a high cadence. The key to clever cycling is to build power by adding intensity with the correct training sessions and clever use of gears. Runners looking to make the transition to triathlon often have a head start, mostly because of the light build and quick turnover of legs, both of which can be a great advantage in a triathlon. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that if your coming to triathlon from a running background, you might find that you don’t yet have classic cycling strength in your quads.

The bike leg is the longest and most strategic part of any triathlon, so it’s crucial to make the most of it. Your bike training should always include a long ride at a slower pace and lower heart rate, just like your long weekend run. Try to also include one shorter ride per week, similar to a tempo run. Then if you have time, you could also include a turbo session, hill session or spin class to work on your intervals.

Don’t forget that cycling will shorten your hamstrings and calves so you’ll need to stretch them thoroughly after each bike session to keep yourself in good condition.

By boosting the power to your legs you’ll be able to overtake on hills and find a second wind on the flats when you competitors are flagging.

High Cadence
Choose one short ride per week where you ride in a higher gear than usual. This will build muscle strength and power in the leg muscles and teach your body to cope with the stress of being tired.

Grind It Out
Climb a hill without changing gear. This will probably be a killer workout but you’ll see fast results. From time to time, make the effort not to drop down into an easier gear while you’re heading up a hill. After a few sessions you’ll find that you’re able to make it up the same hill in the harder gear with less effort. Try to avoid hills with heavy traffic though.

Hill Repeats
Just like running try a hill rep session on your bike. Choose a long, fairly steep hill that’s free of traffic. Power up it, turn around and coast down, using the downhill as an active recovery. Do this 8-12 times per session and you’ll be able to tackle hills in races better than most.

Windy Days
Annoying, frustrating and energy sapping, riding into the wind is no fun at all, but you can turn a negative into a positive by using, not hating, a headwind. Put your head down a purposefully ride harder. The added effort will mean you’ll motor along on less windy days.

Work Out
If you have time and resources, gym work can compliment your bike training by helping to build strength in your leg muscles. Once we get into the winter months I intend to introduce video based exercises to compliment both bike and run training.

Spin Time
As a qualified spin instructor I can vouch that these classes will have you melting into a puddle of your own sweat. A good spin class can make a real difference to your training, but make sure you choose a class with a good instructor that factors in hill climbs, sprints and intervals. Avoid the classes where you do push ups on the handle bars!

Turbo Power
Cycling on a turbo trainer is useful hen it’s too dark, or weather beaten to cycle outside, but you should also consider turbo training as an integral part of any cycling programme.

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